Full of what little readers love.
A tow truck shows off their holiday preparation skills.
This Christmas board book features many different types of vehicles, but when it comes to superior decorating and merrymaking skills, the wrecker takes top prize. There are holiday puns galore here: “Boats buoy spirits / in low or yuletide.” “Taxis fare well / at making things merry.” Young readers who adore all things with wheels will be pleased to see buses, race cars, semis, and trains, among others. The wrecker really takes center stage in this story, proving helpful at stringing Christmas lights, towing Santa’s cookies, and hanging ornaments on a tree. While many of the wrecker’s jobs make sense given its build and tools, not all do. Is a wrecker really better at caroling than a train that can whistle? Still, young readers will be delighted to see the wrecker in action. The book wraps up with the expected sentiment: Christmas is about “the love that we share.” Each vehicle has eyes on their windshield and a mouth on the grill, giving them humanlike expressions. The illustrations feature familiar board-book elements such as bright colors, simple drawings, and minimal detail. This one blends child-favorite trucks with a Christmas theme; nothing here is novel or refreshing, but there’s really nothing wrong with that either. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Full of what little readers love. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5460-0226-0
Page Count: 20
Publisher: WorthyKids/Ideals
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
Cute and sprightly but not a standout.
Deck the stalls?
A bevy of barnyard animals, a cat, and some dogs get fully into the Christmas spirit by sprucing up the farm with colorful decorations, including holly berries and sparkling baubles. They have a great time and sing while going about their merry chores in a manner somewhat in keeping with the rhythm of the classic tune “Deck the Halls.” (In fact, a flock of sheep are shown holding song sheets for it.) As might be expected with these particular celebrants, some of the familiar lyrics are altered just a bit; for instance, “boughs of holly” is “translated” as “cows and holly.” Adult readers expecting the rhythm here to work exactly as it does in the original will be disappointed, because it doesn’t—it’s clunky. This is merely a brief, lightweight spoof of the familiar ditty, so it’s recommended that grown-ups read rather than sing this—except for that final line!—to very young targeted audiences, who may be unfamiliar with the actual song anyway. Some fun is still to be had in the illustrations, however. The spirited, wittily expressive animal characters are depicted having a fine time romping about and producing a variety of onomatopoeic sounds throughout. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Cute and sprightly but not a standout. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66591-435-2
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Boynton Bookworks
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead.
An Easter-themed board-book parody of the traditional nursery rhyme.
Unfortunately, this effort is just as sugary and uninspired as The Itsy Bitsy Snowman, offered by the same pair in 2015. A cheerful white bunny hops through a pastel world to distribute candy and treats for Easter but spills his baskets. A hedgehog, fox, mouse, and various birds come to the bunny’s rescue, retrieving the candy, helping to devise a distribution plan, and hiding the eggs. Then magically, they all fly off in a hot air balloon as the little animals in the village emerge to find the treats. Without any apparent purpose, the type changes color to highlight some words. For very young children every word is new, so highlighting “tiny tail” or “friends” makes no sense. Although the text is meant to be sung, the words don't quite fit the rhythm of the original song. Moreover, there are not clear motions to accompany the text; without the fingerplay movements, this book has none of the satisfying verve of the traditional version.
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5621-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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